Effective Practices: Service Events
Click on a month to see a listing of events:
National Mentoring Month - find relevant effective practices
Mentoring benefits children, adults, and society as a whole. National Mentoring Month is a time to thank those mentors who are "everyday heroes" to their mentees, and to encourage others to share the experience and become a mentor. Mentors help youth achieve their potential by providing them with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement, and positive role models. www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy/
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service - find relevant effective practices
You can be great because you can serve! Join thousands of Americans across the country who are honoring the life and work of Dr. King by serving their community. Make the holiday "a day ON, not a day off." www.mlkday.org
Job Shadow Day - find relevant effective practices
Beginning with a nationwide kickoff in February, and continuing throughout the school year, students across America "shadow" workplace mentors as they go through a normal day on the job. Students get a firsthand look at how the skills learned in school relate to the workplace. www.jobshadow.org
Read Across America - find relevant effective practices
The National Education Association sponsors this annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on or around the birthday of Dr. Seuss, March 2. www.nea.org/readacross
International Women's Day - find relevant effective practices
Observed since the early 1900s, this day marks women's political, economic, and cultural achievements, and expresses the solidarity of women across the globe. Celebrated annually on March 8. www.internationalwomensday.com
Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning - find relevant effective practices
Engage young people in service-learning programs that exemplify the values and principles of Cesar E. Chavez, while addressing real community needs. Recognized on or near Chavez's birthday, March 31. www.chavezfoundation.org
International Children's Book Day - find relevant effective practices
Celebrate on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, April 2, to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books. www.ibby.org
World Entrepreneurship Day - find relevant effective practices
World Entrepreneurship Day (www.worldeshipday.com) is a new global initiative whose mission is to infuse entrepreneurial optimism into the global economy. On April 17 companies, K-12 schools, universities, and individuals across the world will host events, activities, and workshops related to entrepreneurial spirit.
Global Youth Service Day - find relevant effective practices
Global Youth Service Day mobilizes millions of young Americans to identify and address the needs of their communities through service. It is also an opportunity to recruit the next generation of volunteers, and educate the public about the role of youth as community leaders. www.gysd.org/
National Volunteer Week - find relevant effective practices
National Volunteer Week encourages all Americans to commit themselves to do more through the many volunteer programs available in their communities, and to celebrate the invaluable service that volunteers do everyday. www.handsonnetwork.org/programs/more/nvw
Earth Day - find relevant effective practices
Earth Day activities join people who are committed to protecting public health and the environment for generations to come. www.earthday.gov
World Book Day - find relevant effective practices
A world-wide tribute to books and authors, sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Everyone, and in particular young people, are encouraged to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. www.unesco.org/culture/bookday/
Older Americans Month - find relevant effective practices
Older Americans Month is a time to acknowledge the contributions of past and current older citizens, particularly those who defended our country. Older Americans Month is celebrated across the country through ceremonies, events, fairs, and other activities. http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Press_Room/Observances/oam/oam.aspx
Join Hands Day - find relevant effective practices
Bring youth and adults together on the first Saturday in May to improve their own communities. A benefit of the day comes through the friendships that are made across generations. The new partnerships are an important first step in bringing more young people into leadership roles in many organizations. www.joinhandsday.org
National Arab American Service Day - find relevant effective practices
Celebrated during the first part of May, this annual event is spearheaded by the Arab-American Resource Corps (ARC), a national AmeriCorps program, and sponsored by the National Network for Arab-American Communities. The service day fosters leadership and community engagement among diverse communities and helps connect people through the common experience of volunteering, as well as highlighting Arab-American commitment to enhancing local communities.
http://www.accesscommunity.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Annual_National_Arab_American_Service_Day
Flag Day - find relevant effective practices
Observed each year on June 14, a time to honor our nation and to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities.
National Summer Learning Day - find relevant effective practices
Summer Learning Day is a time for communities to celebrate the importance of high-quality summer learning opportunities in the lives of young people and their families. Host an event in your community to raise awareness about how summer programs send young people back to school ready to learn, support working families, and keep children safe and healthy. www.summerlearning.org/
Mandela Day - find relevant effective practices
Held on Mr. Mandela’s birthday each year, July 18, Mandela Day is an annual celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life and a global call to action for people to recognize their individual power to make an imprint and change the world around them. http://www.mandeladay.com/
National Night Out - find relevant effective practices
A unique crime and drug prevention event, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, involving citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations, and local officials in block parties, parades, flashlight walks, contests, and more, to generate support and participation in anti-crime programs, and strengthen community-police partnerships. www.nationaltownwatch.org/nno/
Women's Equality Day - find relevant effective practices
Commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution — which gave women full voting rights — on this day.
Constitution Day- find relevant effective practices
On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was signed into law. Constitution Day recognizes this important document as the foundation for the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens, both native-born and naturalized. constitutioncenter.org/ConstitutionDay/
9.11 Day of Service and Remembrance -find relevant effective practices
Officially established as a National Day of Service and Remembrance by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, passed by Congress in 2009 and signed by President Obama in late April. "United We Serve" will culminate on this new National Day of Service and Remembrance. http://911day.org/
National Neighborhood Day - find relevant effective practices
Celebrated on the third Sunday of September, the mission of National Neighborhood Day is to inspire, build, and sustain neighborhood relationships that provide the foundation for civic action, and the building of stronger, caring, and effective communities. www.neighborhoodday.org
International Peace Day- find relevant effective practices
Established by a United Nations resolution, International Peace Day is an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. www.internationaldayofpeace.org
National Public Lands Day - find relevant effective practices
National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. Volunteers build trails and bridges, plant trees and plants, and remove trash and invasive plants. Held on the third Saturday of September. www.npld.com
Intergeneration Day - find relevant effective practices
Creating an age-integrated community leads to a healthy community, where the strengths of one generation meet the needs of another. On this day connections are made to combat the segregation and isolation of different generations. Intergeneration Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of October. www.intergenerationday.org
World Mental Health Day - find relevant effective practices
A global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy campaign held on October 10. World Mental Health Day is a project of World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. www.wfmh.org/00WorldMentalHealthDay.htm
World Food Day- find relevant effective practices
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day each year on October 16, with the goal that "food for all" should become a human right for present and future generations. www.fao.org/wfd/index_en.asp
Disability Mentoring Day- find relevant effective practices
A nationwide effort to promote career development for students and job-seekers with disabilities through hands-on career exploration, Disability Mentoring Day is observed on the third Wednesday of October. www.dmd-aapd.org
Make A Difference Day - find relevant effective practices
A unique program that inspires and rewards volunteers. Everyone who helps others on the fourth Saturday of October and sends in an entry form is eligible for a national or local award and for a cash donation to a charitable cause. www.makeadifferenceday.com
Youth Appreciation - find relevant effective practices
Formerly observed during the month of November, this recognition event is now celebrated at a program's discretion. Optimist Clubs recognize local youth for their efforts in the arts, athletics, academics, and community service work. Youth Appreciation projects are intended to raise the self-esteem of children and highlight their positive contributions to society. www.optimist.org/default.cfm?content=members/mbrcdpa10.htm
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week- find relevant effective practices
Each year, one week before Thanksgiving, schools, communities, and cities take part in a nationwide effort to bring greater awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness. www.nationalhomeless.org/projects/awareness/index.html
Family Volunteer Day - find relevant effective practices
Designed to showcase the benefits of families working together, introduce community service, and encourage those who haven't yet made the commitment to volunteer as a family, National Family Volunteer Day is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving and kicks off National Family Week. http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2009/09/give-a-day-of-volunteer-service-in-2010-get-a-day-of-disney-theme-park-fun-%E2%80%93-free/
National Family Week - find relevant effective practices
Embraces the premise that children live better lives when their families are strong, and families are strong when they live in communities that connect them to economic opportunities, social networks, and services. Observed during Thanksgiving week. www.nationalfamilyweek.org
International Volunteer Day - find relevant effective practices
The United Nations General Assembly designates December 5 as an annual celebration of voluntary action by people, communities, and governments of the world. www.worldvolunteerweb.org/intl-vol-day.html
Bill of Rights Day - find relevant effective practices
On December 15, commemorate the day in 1791 when the first ten Amendments were added to the Constitution of the United States. www.billofrightsinstitute.org/
For help planning your service event, see the sequence of practices provided by HandsOn Network.
For a calendar of service and training events, visit the Resource Center Calendar of Events.
